HIV poz gay men Welcome to PozVille PozQueers community for HIV+ poz gay men

A Brief Overview
PozVille aka PlanetDingo is a private not for profit alternative social network created specifically for HIV poz gay men, including HIV negative gay men who are poz friendly. HIV poz het (and BI) men and women who are not blinded by others' race, sexual orientation, lifestyle, gender, nationality, opinions, age, physical appearance, beliefs - and who live or are accepting of alternative lifestyles, are also welcomed.

We started out as a small affinity network for poz gay men on Snappville, originally we were known as PozQueers. An affinity network is a group of people who share specific interest(s) or ideals, know each others strengths and weaknesses, and support each other. As we have gotten to know each other, we have evolved into a small online family. What you will discover here are some really cool poz gay men freely expressing what they feel and who they are.

Our goals are to share, connect and empower ourselves with other HIV poz gay men and women who are seeking new friends, experiences, peer support and community. There is a little something for just about everyone in our site. You’ll find a few essential basics on HIV, wellness, updates and other info that might help you deal with issues related to living with HIV. We’re not just focused on living with HIV – it’s also about talking and sharing all the other things in Life that affects us – and having fun as well. Visual arts, spirituality, our pets, video, music, scifi, fantasy, sex, erotica, photos, humor, literature, national issues and politics are just a few of the spokes in the spinning wheels of our community.

We’re totally independent and do not use freemium social networking platforms. We own a lifetime license to use the software, the community is hosted on a private dedicated server, and the expenses are generously funded by Jim and Keith, aka Dingo and KeysMan. We do not charge or ask anyone for donations and fees, nor do we operate this network for any profit. If you like what we’re doing and want to help offset the hosting fees please use our Amazon affiliate link, only one banner ad appears on each page of the site. There are no other banner and no pop up ads.

PozVille is also a cyber extension of our home and our personal website (PlanetDingo). A few members and some staff are people we personally know from the physical world - buddies, friends, associates and extended family - others we have met and befriended online.

To help us maintain a safe and pleasant Internet environment where HIV+ poz gay men and women can openly interact and have fun, we emphasize that you should always treat other members as if they were a guest in your home or as someone you might work with. Although we have rarely had any problems, it needs to be said that harassment (sexual and non sexual), intimidation, trolling, predatory and abusive behavior towards others, privately and publicly, will not be tolerated.

A limited amount of erotic content is permitted and featured within areas of this site, subject to the basic terms and guidelines outlined on this page. Keep in mind that erotica is not our primary focus. Much of the content within this site is primarily homo erotic in scope and nature. Although the female body is appreciated within the gay and BI community, it is not our focus, ie, erotic content outside of our main focus is subject to our removal.

You can fully customize and design your profiles, create blogs, polls, get talking in groups or forums, upload photos, embed videos and music, leave comments, and subscribe to forum feeds, share videos, music and much more. We’re still adding new apps and features that are being released. Have fun creating your profile, meeting new friends, sharing your thoughts and exploring PozVille.

Connecting and Making a Difference
Inviting friends or telling other HIV poz folks about PozVille could make a difference to someone else; they might be looking for like minded souls, that special person, or something they say or share could even empower or help someone else. Please invite friends and others you know into this community, tell people about us in other poz gay men groups and networks you belong to, or put a link to our network within your other online profiles.

Current Activity Feed Updates Can Only be Viewed by Members

Featured Groups

Cinema and Television

Created by: PozVille

Memorials and Tributes

Created by: PozVille

Gardening, Landscape And Agriculture

Created by: Denn

Pozville Veterans

Created by: Denn

NUDES

Created by: PozVille

NATIONAL HIV ADVOCACY

Created by: PozVille

Promenade

Created by: PozVille

Under 50

Created by: PozVille

Over 50

Created by: PozVille

Bears

Created by: PozVille

Humor

Created by: PozVille

SciFi Fantasy Horror SFX Animation

Created by: PozVille

Creative Arts

Created by: PozVille

Mind Body and Soul

Created by: PozVille

Pawz Pets Central

Created by: PozVille

Recent Blog Comments

It Came And Took Something Away-From All Of Us

These comments were posted on the PozVille syndicated version of Denn's blog: Tue, June 8, 2010 - 2:17 AM State of Mind - Very good blog entry. All except one of my gay contemporaries are gone now. I account my survival to being "the virgin queen" because, after being raped by a teacher, anal sex had no appeal, as bottom or top. As a cancer survivor I am all too aware...

Posted on: July 28, 2010

Location, location

Where ever you go Scott, never give up the fight. Withdrawing from the world would be a loss to many. Your calling chose you for a reason, Where ever you decide to go, I know you will make a difference in someone's life, in the world, we need soldiers on the world front, to dispense the knowledge and philosophy of your calling....

Posted on: July 28, 2010

RIP: The Middle Class

It goes back further Keith, we have to remember that capitalism was started in Europe with the royal ruling class. Their ventures to other parts of the world netted them inexpensive goods and labour, which the ruling class royalty of Europe amassed in a guargantian till of profits which they still benefit from today. This amassed wealth has created a class of people better...

Posted on: July 28, 2010

RIP: The Middle Class

Our capitalist economy is the root of the majority of our problems. There is nothing wrong with earning a living, building a business, or trying to increase net worth. But at one point, this was through invention and improvement of society as a whole. Now it is literally done by taking from the lower class - their jobs, their benefits, and their livelihoods. Because of this, most make less...

Posted on: July 26, 2010

Ethics & Accountability - The Witch Hunt vs Sherrod

Shirley Sherod was graceful and rose above it all. I am glad the white farmer spoke out. Andrew Brietbart is a piece of shit....

Posted on: July 23, 2010

Ethics & Accountability - The Witch Hunt vs Sherrod

It's no surprise that the douche-bag Breibart wasn't man enough or grown up enough to apologize, last night on CNN. These low lifes have one common goal along with the other folks riding the Republican Crazy Train, and that is to discredit the Democrats and the President. Now, if the tea baggers believed in their so-called vision for America where were they when Breibart was posting his lies on...

Posted on: July 23, 2010

Growing Older in a Hostile Environment - An In Depth Report

Here I am not so certain about change. After all, almost every US military ally has allowed gays to serve in the military for years, yet we are reluctant to change. As nations begin allowing gays to marry and have government benefits, our nation still fights the issue through ammendments to the constitution. There is more acceptance in the community at large, but the power structure changes...

Posted on: July 22, 2010

Ethics & Accountability - The Witch Hunt vs Sherrod

Here in Georgia and in South Carolina where I grew up, Fox news is the only news some people watch - actually many people. There is a real prevailing opinion that with Obama as president, their way of life is threatened. They fear a loss of power, and will find crude ways to express themselves and keep it from happening. Inside Atlanta, the power structure is distributed between black and...

Posted on: July 22, 2010

Ethics & Accountability - The Witch Hunt vs Sherrod

I noticed the News has switched back to promoting the Tea Baggers, now that it was shown ( and expected) that everyone involved jumped the gun when they reacted to Shirley Sharrod's acceptance speech at the NAACP awards. Also funny is how this so-called Black Panther group, which is all of about 12 people is making News. CNN's infotainment circus is leading the pack. The right wing...

Posted on: July 22, 2010

A Gift..

What a wonderful way to start off my day - thank you for sharing this Rick. It's not often that we hear of acceptance (or tolerance), as rare as it is, it does exist in a few small towns within certain areas of this country. Rarely do we see or hear of our gay seniors showing such a display in...

Posted on: July 13, 2010

Growing Older in a Hostile Environment - An In Depth Report

Well these are very real concerns. Society must adapt to changes which are taking place. I am sure there will be a worldwide attitude change to same sex marriage where we have the same rights as married straight couples. It must happen if only for economic reasons....married or recognised defacto couples can be means tested before receiving any pensions etc. If gay/lesbian couples are not...

Posted on: July 13, 2010

About PozVille PozQueers
"queer: historically, the word "queer" has been used as a derogatory term, a word that demeaned and disrespected the GLBTQ community. More recently, GLBTQ academics and activists have sought to reclaim the word and "reoccupy" its meaning, turning it into a vehicle of pride, resistance, and coalition-building. So phrases like "queer studies," "queer community," and "queer theory" are common parlance. But "queer" hasn't entirely lost its derogatory power, so it should be used with care and sensitivity." Quoted from OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY GLBTQ DEFINITIONS.

The name pozqueers was reclaimed for our Pride. We refuse to be disempowered by those who continue to foster & harbor prejudice towards HIV positive poz gay men. There is no shame in being hiv poz.

We embrace all HIV poz men who identify as being gay, BI, queer, m4m or transgendered. HIV poz hetero men and HIV+ poz women who are gay friendly are welcomed. HIV NEG gay men who are not blinded by ignorance, been partnered or openly dated hiv poz gay men, or wish to have a better understanding of hiv poz gay men and want to bridge the existing gaps between poz and neg, are also welcomed into our community.

PozQueers was started in October 2007, on the Snapp Network, for hiv poz gay men who were looking for a totally different online experience. Our primary goal was to connect HIV poz gay men who wanted to make new friends, share information and possibly connect those who were looking for someone special. During the first two years, with the help and input from several members, the community evolved to what it has become today.

Technology and social networking has changed quickly. The software became outdated on Snappville and in February 2010, it was time to move. Our network has some erotic adult content, which is not permitted on most free ad supported social networking services. I decided to move the community onto a privately hosted dedicated server, which we do not share with anyone else. In short this allows us to have complete freedom, something that isn’t allowed for communities hosted on Ning, Tribes, MySpace, Facebook and other free social networking platforms.

The decision to change the name to PozVille was based upon a poll from the old site, the votes were almost evenly split between PozVille and PozQueers. The new site uses the moniker PlanetDingo because it is also a cyber extension of the community founder’s home and personal websites, thedingoman.com (pre 2005) and planetdingo.com (after 2005).

"The best part of any journey are the people we meet along the way."
Our community is made up of varying colors and lifestyles, primarily composed of hiv poz gay men. I come from the old guard, respecting others rights, opinions, freedom of expression & beliefs providing they are causing no deliberate harm to others and respecting normal social boundaries. Doing so serves to bond and empower us, bringing us all to a better understanding and acceptance of others.

The golden rules here are simple. Treat everyone as if they were a guest in your home or as if they were someone you might work with. And remember, while we may not always agree with each other, we should agree that it's OK to disagree. Within this community respect the rights of others to have their opinions freedom of expressions and beliefs. If something offends you just do not view it again.

COMMUNITY
We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been, a place half remembered and half envisioned we can only catch glimpses of from time to time. Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free. --- Starhawke

There were several reasons I embarked upon starting a community for HIV poz gay men. At the top of the list was the lack of quality social and dating sites for HIV poz gay men who wanted something more than a place for hook ups. There are a few good dating and social sites for HIV poz gay men but most are limiting in their features and scope. Others are nothing more than a clever way of getting you to sign up so they can make money pitching products or selling your email address to marketing firms. And in recent years it seems HIV poz gay men have become nothing more than a commodity for some social network operators who talk a good game about coming together but they're really not interested in anything but your marketability value. Many of these network operators make claims to being HIV poz owned and operated - they're not. Last year I did a WHOIS check on several hiv dating sites making these claims and found them linked to the same owners who have all kinds of other dating sites. Many of these sites are registered to ad marketing enterprises.

PozVille was also conceived as an alternative for hiv poz gay men tired of seeing all those faceless, wordless or half baked profiles that are common on most HIV poz gay men social and dating networks. Having to deal with frustrations we've experienced on mixed dating and social networks gets old real quick. As hiv poz gay men, we’ve had to deal with many rejections because of our HIV status and insensitive “DDF, healthy UB2” posts. The indifference, ugliness and hostilities doled out towards hiv positive gay men still happens and it hasn’t changed in 20 years, despite the best attempts to educate others.

There are still HIV poz gay men who continue to isolate themselves or feel that they are alone because of all this. Many of us have at some point in our lives have needed some type of peer support from other hiv poz gay men who know what it's like living with HIV. I constantly see HIV poz gay men looking for this support on several of the Yahoo hiv poz gay men dating groups I belong to.

Sharing of ourselves no doubt helps empower ourselves and other HIV poz gay men and that sharing serves to empower us all in some way, often helping us understand ourselves and those around us. The power of words, images, music and video also is empowering and they can be used as expressions of who we are, what we love.

A good example is a comment some guy posted some time ago in an hiv poz gay men Yahoo group and I’ve seen similar posts in other groups over the years, “Why is it so hard to find someone in a group of so many men to get to know and maybe have a relationship with and get together. Seems like everyone does not have a good profile or something is wrong in their lives. I am looking and hoping someday.”

My response to that is that we all need a place at times to vent and air frustrations. We should be more supportive of each other, moreso if someone is seeking peer support. And if your expectations are genuine then you should complete your own profile before making remarks that others do not have a good profile. The guy who made those comments did not have a photo or any information in his Yahoo profile.

HIV poz gay men who are serious about a relationship often do find it frustrating when searching the Internet for a mate. A lot of guys out there aren’t always as serious as they claim to be. And most HIV poz gay men do not always take advantage of the new technology that we now have before us. Just putting up a photo with very little profiling or nothing at all and expecting others to respond to you no longer works. The interactive applications and features now available on social networks are tools that can work for you only if you use them and are willing to take a few minutes to complete a profile. If you are looking for a partner, small hiv+ poz gay men social communities such as this one and others like it are good places to look. Going off the beaten path does has its advantages.

Regardless of where you look you have to put yourself out there by actively participating in local events and causes. On the Internet getting involved in discussions is a good start, it gets the attention of others, allowing people to get to know you. Either way a door opens to a potential possibility of a new friendship or intimate relationship.

Inviting other hiv poz gay men you know who are looking into small niche networks such as this one also helps. When you do that, you’re connecting your friends with others who are looking. Social networking only works when everyone works together. Most community owners and their staff put a lot of time and energy into promoting their networks and often do not receive anything in return. When you invite or tell others, you’re making a difference. It’s good karma.

Those are just a few reasons I started this community for hiv+ poz gay men. I wanted change in my Life and because of that desire, I found others like me. For myself, making a positive difference by helping other HIV+ poz gay men who were still living in isolation or shame, or just needed a boost and new perspective on Life, impacted my own Life and health. Along the way I have met some new friends, and although I wasn’t looking, I met my partner, Keith, who has contributed much and been very supportive of these efforts.

Let's get back to knowing each other a bit more – we’ve gotten away from personal communication and embracing each other. For me this is what community is about. With this said I welcome you to join us.

Jim Thurman aka the dingo

Why We Are Unique
When Dingo asked me to write about what is unique and different about this community for HIV poz gay men, I was caught off guard, because who would know better than the Dingo Man himself? But then, if we as users do not see it as unique and different, then maybe we are missing something. And by the way, he asked me to be objective and not write it as his partner, so I will. Of course, there are many technological reasons that make it unique, heaven knows it is probably the most complex to learn all of its features than other systems, but once we learn how to use it, the complex technology adds to its uniqueness. For example, how many places can you attach a video in PozQueers? Profiles, Photos, comments, activity feeds, forums, and blogs are places one can use this feature. You can customize your own page with your own art work if you so desire, not encumbered by preset artwork choices and structure. I could go on, but you get the point. The most striking difference of uniqueness from other sites, is that it encourages individual expression. Because of the moderation, it is the norm to express your internal self, meaning we feel safe to talk about what we do, express our opinions, criticize others opinions, and give advice. Other sites that lack the moderation usually degenerate (in my opinion) to pictures and poses and sexual preferences mainly because it is what everyone does in search of a hook up. Don not get me wrong, I am guilty of a few hook ups in my past, and I like looking at the beauty of the male body in all of its parts, but if we, as hiv poz gay men, are really serious about forming relationships and friendships, we have to see beyond or through the cock and ass to get there. At PozVille, there are places for the C and A shots, but the profile is geared more to OUR uniqueness as individuals, not OUR sameness or differences of human form and sexual action. In other words, we are not different when it comes to the exterior other than size, but we are very different when it comes to our personalities and interests in terms of what we do with our time and our minds. Keith (aka KeysMan)

September 20, 2009
Over two years ago I embarked upon creating a new community for HIV poz gay men. After years of being on several HIV poz gay men Yahoo groups and other HIV poz gay men dating networks that were very limiting in scope of features, sometimes poorly moderated and designed, dealing with lazy people who never filled out their faceless profiles but were always hitting me up, being bombarded with sales pitches, receiving countless spam messages in my email box, and asked for money or donations to upgrade or to help “offset operating costs“ for a site that was bursting with ads, I said to myself that if I was frustrated, others probably were too.

I wanted more substance and quality, more fun, and my own personal web page that would allow me to express more of myself through music, video, images and customized boxes. A network of faces and profiles primarily for hiv poz gay men with profiling designed to connect me with others who shared similar interests, and maybe somewhere in the future, a partner.

That was back during the summer of 2007, right after I left Texas for Georgia, fresh off the dialysis machine, no longer able to ride motorcycles – still in recovery from bad health – and accepting the realization at that point in my Life I probably might not find my soul mate. Read More Here

“It was not visible, at least not to my eyes, or anyone else, not because it was quick, or stealth or ghostly. It was benign, riding piggy back on the aura of amour, of hope, of feelings we all knew would bring us pleasure, joy and the ecstasy we often sought after paying our dues, pulling our fair share after a 40 hour work week, the acceptance, as a part of building a life together till death do us part. If not for those reasons then for just pure selfishness and amusement. Instant gratification. Like a drug it disguised its intentions behind the veil of pleasure, masking its true aim, setting up shop and then slowing picking away the pieces. What HIV and AIDS took away was more than just physical; it was psychological, social, and emotional. It wasn't just those of us that were and are infected, but also those around us that were not. We all felt that wave of fear because there was no defense. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. No cure. A helpless situation. Whether you or just surviving all you could do was watch as this scrounge wreaked havoc in your life, and by proxy those around you.” Read It Came and Took Something Away from Us

Featured Posts

HIV poz gay men often find it frustrating when searching the Internet for a mate. Cracking the profile codes we see on online dating sites can be overwhelming to some but they don't have to be. Most HIV poz gay men do not always take advantage of the new technology that we now have before us. The interactive applications and features are tools that can work for you only if you use them and are willing to share of yourself. How do you separate the HIV poz gay men who say they want a commitment from the hiv poz gay men who truly want one? For starters, there probably won't be anything strongly sexual mentioned in their profile. He may even go so far as to say friends first, relationship later to ward off the guys who are just looking for action. And since he's probably not spending his days sleeping off last night's outing, he'll probably list lots of hobbies or activities he enjoys. Read More Here

If you want to better manage your own body language, you need to think about every aspect of your day and how you behave. While you might think you are a friendly person, if you go straight to your office and avoid eye contact with anyone, it can send the wrong signals to your co-workers. Watching a person's subtle body movements during dating can reveal a lot as well. On the flip side, how can you use the body language of others to your advantage? Read More Here

Recently on a Yahoo social group for HIV poz gay men, an older gay man posted a comment that caught my eye. He said "poz gay men can be so mean to me and hateful to each other. I hate being gay been in three long term gay relationships and hated all of it and I was never faithful. I hate gay bars but find myself in them all the time. That is how I got HIV and hiv poz gay men are worse. They should know better. I no longer like the gay culture. I am not self loathing because I really do love myself. I am not sure what I should do anymore. Maybe I should go straight." Read Be Willing to Fall Down

One of the most powerful ways to connect with other poz gay men and help solve social problems is to reach out to one person, commit one act of kindness, offer the best we have to others who need it, and then watch the giving gather steam. Volunteering is an activity where you also can meet many new people and develop fresh ideas for yourself. When you volunteer your time, you usually get more out of it for yourself rather than the actual cause. Your local hiv aids service organization is a good place to volunteer your skills or time.Making a Difference

Have Fun with Your Profile
If you are experiencing an online slump here or on other sites, consider sprucing up your profile and albums. Upload clear photos. Avoid dark sunglasses, strange lighting and awkward poses. Photos of yourself doing something or of your pets, places and stuff you enjoy will usually get the attention of others.

Half baked profiles don't grab anyone's attention. Our experience over time has proven that most people who don't do profiling usually are not going to interact with or respond to other people.

Let yourself shine. Avoid doing a shopping list of personality traits and physical attributes that you want from others. The optional profiling text inputs are there for you to use. The more info you provide, the more likely someone will find something in common with you. You can design you profile with skins, move the blocks, embed up to 3 video players and 1 music player without affecting the performance of your page.

Audio Video Resources
For audio players and music resources PLAYLIST is strongly recommended. If you wish to upload your own music and create additional slideshows use MyFabrik. You can find almost anything on YouTube these days but if you want to embed some really cool and original videos onto your profile, blogs and photo comments, check out DailyMotion and Vimeo.

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